Railway-traffic-controlling apparatus



March 5} 1929- E. A. WARNER. JR

RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS INVENTORI E H Ql nef, (7k

Filed Nov. 22, 192'? Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENTIOFFICE.

EDWARD A. WARNER, an, or MILLBURN, NEW JERSEY, assrenon. TO 'rHEuNxoN swrron a SIGNAL COMPANY, or SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVA IA; A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-TRAITIC-CONTEOLLING APPARATUS.

Application filed November 22, 1927. Serial No. 234,981.

My invention relates to railway traffic controlling apparatusfand particularly to apparatus of the type comprising train car ried governing means controlled by induc torslocated at intervals along the trackway. More particularly my present invention relates to the trackway portion of such apparatus.

I will describe one form of trackway apparatus embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims. 1

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic view illustrating one form of track waly apparatus embodying my invention.

eferring to this drawing, the reference characters 1 and 1 designate the track rails of a stretch of. railway track over which trafiic normally moves in the direction indicated by the arrow. These rails are divided, by means of insulated joints 2, to form a plurality of track sections A--B, BC, etc. Each track section is provided with a track battery designated by the reference character F with an appropriate distinguishing exponent and connected across the rails adjacent the exit end of the section. Each section isalso provided with a track relay designated by the reference character R with a suitable exponent and connected across the track rails adjacent the entrance end of the section.

Each track section is also providedwith a trackway signal designated by the reference character S with an appropriate exponent. In the form here shown each of the signals S is of the semaphore type, and is located adjacent the entrance end of the corresponding section, but this particular form and arrangement of signals is. not essential. The circuits for controlling the signals form no part of mypresent invention and have been omitted from the drawing for the sake of simplicity.

Associated with each section is a slow- .acting relay, designated by the reference character J with an exponent corresponding to the location, and controlled by the track relay for the section next in rear. Referring for example to relay J this relay is normally de-energized but when a train enters section AB, relay R becomes (lo-energized and current then flows from terminal D of a suitable source of energy not shown in the drawing, over back contact 3 of relay R wires 4 and 5, and winding of relav Jlto terminal E of thesame source. Relay J therefore becomes energized, but due to its slow acting characteristics, an interval of time elapses before the relay closes its front contact; Associated, with relay J is a line relay H which is arranged to be energized when relay J closes, provided track relays E and lit are both energized. The circuit tor relay H may be traced from terminal D, through front-contactfiof relay R, wire 7 front contact8 of relay R wire 9, front contact 10 of relay J wire 11, and winding of relay H to terminalE. Each oftheremaining sections is provided with a line re lay H which is controlled b circuits similar to the circuit just traced 0r relay H Each track section is provided with a trackway inductor comprising a core 20 provided with awinding 21 and located .adjacent the entrance end ofthe corresponding section. The inductors K are suitable for co-operation with train carried governing means in suchwmannerthat when a train passes an inductorK having its winding 21 open-circuited, a stop indication lSIIBCBWQCl on board thetrain. i If the winding 21 0f the inductor K is shunted, however,when.

the train passes the, inductor, the traindoes not receive a stop indication. Thewinding 21 of each induetorK is cont-rolled 1 by. an

auxiliary relay designated by the reference character G with an appropriate exponent.

Referring particularly to relayGi, this relay is provided with a pick-up circuit which;

may be traced from terminal D, through wire 13, front contact 14 of relay H wires 15 and 16, and winding. of relay G to terminal The relay G is also provided with a stick circuit which passes fromterminal D, through back contact 30f relay R wires 4 and 17, front contact 18 of relay G wires 19 and 16, and winding of relay. G to liQITIllDfll E. It is. manifest, therefore, that when relay H3 becomes energized, the

pick-up circuit for relayG isclosed, and

that relay G is subsequentlyInaintainedin.

its energized condition as long as relay R is LlG-BIIEI fglZQQl. Winding 21 of inductor. K is provided with a shunting circuit; which may betraced from the righthand terminal of the winding 21, through wire 22, front contact 23 of relayGF, and wire24 back to the left-hand terminal of winding 21. It follows, therefore, that when relay G is energized, the shunting circuit for inductor K is closed and a train passing the inductor under these conditions will not receive a stop indication. The control of each of the remaining relays G is similar to the control of rela G and will be readily understood from tie drawing.

As shown in the drawing, the stretch of track is unoccupied, so that all of the track relays are energized and all otthe slowacting relays J are deenergized. All of the relays Hand all of the relays G are de-energized and the shunting circuit for each inductor K is open.

In explaining the operation of the apparatus as a whole, I will first assume that a train enters section A--B. 7 Relay R then opens, closing, at back contact 3 thereon, the circuit for relay J the time interval required for the operation of this relay, front contact 10 closes and since relays R and: R are both energized, relay H then picks up. The closing of front contact 14 of relay H completes the pick-up circuit for relay G which thereupon closes to complete the shunting circuit for inductor K Then the train enters section BG, therefore, passing the inductor K, it will not receive a stop indication. The partsare so adjusted that the time interval required for relay J to close its front contact is equal to the time required by a train travelling at the maximum permissive speed to move from point A to point B. If a train, travelling at a greater speed than the.

maximum permissive speed, traverses the stretch of track, itwill reach point B before the relay J has closed its front cont-act. As soon as the train enters section BC, relay R opens, and if front contact 8 of relay R opens before front contact 10 of relay J closes, relay H remains de energiaed andrthepick-up circuit for relay G remains open. Under these conditions the shunting circuit for inductor K remains open and the train will receive a stop indication as it passes inductor K It will be-seen, therefore, that if traffic conditions in advance are safe, that is, if section B-C and the section to the right are both unoccupied, a train travelling at a speed less than the maximum permissive speed, will receivea proceed indication as it passes the inductor K If the train is exceeding the maximum permissive speed, or if a train occupies section BC or the section to the right of point C, the shunting circuit for inductor K will notbe closed and the train will receive indication as it passes the inductor K Apparatus embodying my invent-ion is particularly suitable for operation'on rapid transit lines in which the trains are made up of a plurality of cars each provided with At the expiration ofa stop train carried governing means controlled by a trackway inductor. In installations of this character, it is obvious that the shunting circuit for the inductor K must be kept closed until the rear of the train has passed the inductor. It will be observed that after a train moving slower than the maximum permissive speed, has entered section B--C, relay R opens and de-energizes relay H The pick-up circuit for relay G" is then interrupted but relay G is now held closed by virtue of its stick circuit including back contact 3 of relay R. Relay G therefore re mains closed to complete the shunting circuit for inductor K as long as any portion of the train occupies section A-B. When the rear of the train passes out of section AB, relay lt becomes energized, thereby breaking the stick circuit for relay G and allowing this relay to open. At the same time the relay J becomes deenergized to restore the apparatus to-its normal condition. The operation of the apparatus as the train proceeds through section BC will be understood without further explanation.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of railway trafliccontrolling apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a forward and a rear section of railway track, an inductor located in the trackway adjacent the junction of said sections and comprising a winding, means set into operation when a trainenters said rear section and effective if at least a predetermined time interval elapses before the train enters the forward section to close a shunting circuit for said winding, and means for subsequently holding said circuit closed as long as any part of the train occu pies said rear section.

2. In combination, a forward and a rear section of railway track, an inductor located in the traclrway adjacent the junction ofsaid sections and comprising a winding, a slow acting relay having a circuit arranged to be closed when a train enters the rear section, a line relay controlled by said slow acting relay and by traffic conditions in the forward section, an auxiliary relay for controlling said winding, a pickup circuit for said auxiliary relay controlled by said line relay, and

a stick circuit for said auxiliary relay controlled by tral'iic conditions in the rear section.

Railway trailic controlling apparatus con'iprising a stretch ofrailway track divided into sections, a track circuit for each section including a track relay, a slow acting rela for each section controlled by the trac relay for the section next in rear, a line relay for each section controlled by the associated track relay and associated slow acting relay and by the track relay for the section next in advance, an auxiliary rela for each section, a pick-up circuit for eac auxiliary relay including a front contact of the adjacent line relay, a stick circuit for each auxiliary relay including its own front ing a winding, and a shunting circuit for 15 each said winding including a front contact of the adjacent auxiliag' relay. In testimony whereof I a x my signature.

EDWARD A. WARNER, JR. 

